USL W LEAGUE: Dramatic late-game heroics help Asheville City rally for Southern Conference championship
- Dan Stickradt
- Jul 9
- 2 min read
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Talk about snatching victory away from the jaws of defeat.
Asheville City used every available minute to rally past Lone Star FC Sunday night in the USL W League Southern Conference championship match.
Asheville City scored one minute into stoppage time near the end of regulation to tie the game at 1-1, then scored the go-ahead and game-winning goal in the the 119th minute of overtime to post a dramatic, 2-1, come-from-behind victory over Lone Star FC in the Southern Conference finals at UNC-Asheville Greenwood Field.
In a year where Asheville has staged a handful of comebacks, this one topped the cake.
Just a couple of days after rallying past TLH Reckoning 3-1 in the conference semifinals – the Blues scored three goals in a five-minute span late in the first half after trailing 1-0 early in that game – this time Asheville City had to work eight minutes of stoppage time at the end of the second half and play through two 15-minute overtime periods before squeaking out the win in the end.
Unbeaten Asheville City moved to 13-0-1 on the season and with that have compiled a 35-11 scoring edge this season and will take on defending USL W League champion North Carolina Courage U23 next weekend in the national semifinals.
The berth in the Final Four almost wasn't meant to be, but the Blues consistent pressure in the second half finally paid dividends at the 90+1 mark. Yuliia Khrystiuk sent a cross into the box and Emma Sheehan found enough space to redirect the ball off a header that sailed into the back of the net. The goal was a season-saver.
Asheville City kept working deep into the second overtime and Khrystiuk swung a high bending cross into the box and this time it was Naroa Demenech who leapt high above traffic to head it home with less than two minutes left in the second extra session for the game-winning tally.
Lone Star FC’s Teagan Wahle broke open the stalemate in the 19th minute with a goal inside the box to give her side a 1-0 advantage. Behind some spectacular goalkeeping from Azul Alvarez, Lone Star was able to hold onto the lead until Asheville City’s incredible comeback – which quickly dashed away Lone Star’s Final Four dreams in the waning moments.
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